Earth Sheltered Housing Design

The first edition of this classic volume was hailed as an "outstanding book in every respect" by Solar Age, "the definitive book on the subject" by Workbench, and "essential reading for anyone who plans to build underground" by Living Alternatives. Focusing on one of the most innovative housing trends to emerge in the past decade, the completely revised second edition of this respected guide to earth sheltered housing covers nearly all facets of the subject. It discusses history, site and building design, energy use and costs, waterproofing, insulation materials, and public policy issues. You will find the latest technical information and current trends in design direction along with results of extensive computer simulations of energy performance and energy use monitoring of houses. Ten case studies new to this edition illustrate and analyze some of the best and most innovative examples of earth sheltered design around the country. Other key areas covered range from energy conservation potential to insurance and home financing. The design guidelines, technical information,and practical examples offered here will be especially valuable to builders, designers, and researchers. This useful reference source provides a comprehensive introduction to earth sheltering. The Underground Space Center at the University of Minnesota was established in 1977 as a research and information center concerned with various aspects of underground development and construction. The center's goals are: to serve as a focal point for the planning and coordination of underground space use, to carry out research in area? affecting the use of underground space, to provide an information and referral service on all aspects of underground utilization, and to serve as a base for international cooperation on research and information transferral.